Multnomah County Library space planning framework 2017

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Serving the community since 1864, Multnomah County Library provides a wide range of library resources and services through 19 locations and a variety of outreach settings. Multnomah County Library is among the busiest public libraries in the United States. It also has the smallest amount of space of any library system serving a population of a similar size.

In June 2017, the library culminated a yearlong process to create a long term vision for library spaces to serve a growing and changing community. This effort resulted in the Framework for Future Library Spaces (PDF).

Based on data, use patterns and public input, this document outlines a vision for modern and adequate library space for people in Multnomah County to learn, create, gather and harness the shared knowledge and resources of a premier public library system.

The Multnomah County Library District Board adopted this document on June 29, 2017. The board’s action directs the library to begin an implementation phase to include models for costs, funding, timelines and staging of projects to achieve the framework’s recommendations.